The Things I Need to Say
by bel canto bueno
Summary: I don't date musicians and I don't date Quidditch players. Ever. Like, as a rule. And then came James Sirius Potter. And there went my rules. JSP/OC
1. I'll Write a Song for You

**A/N:** Hi everybody! This is my first story that I'm posting and I want to know what you think about it. It's a next generation James/OC story.**  
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**Disclaimer:** I only own the OCs.

* * *

_Open our music book,  
that only few can look  
and I'll write a song for you  
"I'll Write a Song For You"- Earth, Wind, & Fire_

Every time I hear those beginning chords, I cringe. It's like a reflex. And when the words start up, that's when my shoulders tense, and by the time the chorus starts, I'm twirling my hair almost aggressively.

_I just want you to know  
This is my song for you.  
And I don't know where you'll go,  
And I don't know what you'll do.  
But what I know for sure,  
Is I will let you down.  
So I'll sing to you today,  
The things I need to say._

My brothers tell me that I need to get over it. That's easy for them to say; the song isn't about them.

See, once upon a time, a long time ago, my parents met, dated, and married. Less than a year later, my oldest brother Chris entered the world. Four years after that came Corey, and then four years after that, I popped out.

Except at this point, my father the Quidditch playing musician had decided that the 'family life' wasn't for him and went on the road with his band. It's because of him that I don't date Quidditch players and musicians.

The song is titled "The Things I Need to Say" and was written in 15 minutes by my dad in a Motel 6 somewhere in Arizona. This song was his legacy. My father died when I was eight. And while almost no one knows who he is, everyone knows _the song_.

The only reason I bring up _the song_ is because I can hear it. The receptionist of my mother's future husband has the radio on and is singing quietly as she does her work. I'm waiting patiently, my color-coded binder of plans lying on my lap, for my future step-father to get out of a meeting with his editor.

My mother, romance novelist extraordinaire Betsy Taylor, had come to England sometime last year to promote her new book where she had met the one and only Gilderoy Lockhart, who had only recently been deemed safe for society by St. Mungo's. The two had met and fallen fast into love or lust or whatever. In January, he had proposed and now it was August and the wedding was fast approaching.

My mother was currently sitting at a spa, getting a massage and her nails done, claiming that "all this work on the wedding was too stressful" which I personally, found ironic. You see, my mother has a habit of starting projects and never finishing them. This was not her first wedding. It wasn't even her second or third. This was actually her fifth wedding, including my father.

But years of living with her had shown me exactly what I needed to do with my mother. The minute she announced that she was engaged, to us is when I had gone upstairs and pulled out all the past wedding stuff. My mother liked to pick out the color scheme and her dress, then say that she had too much work going on to do anything else and would I please please please help her out with this one little thing.

Well, this one little thing always turned out to be the entire wedding and years of planning events for my mother had let me know that I needed my color coded binder. It had also told me that I needed to remind the grooms of certain things, which is why I was sitting in the waiting room for Gilderoy.

"Hello, Austin." Gilderoy greets me pleasantly, apparently having sent his editor away. Huh, I hadn't even noticed. "Do come in," He said, ushering me into the office.

He walked around the desk and sat down, gesturing for me to sit down in the seat across from him. "What can I do for you today?"

I opened my binder and flipped through the pages. "I just have a couple of reminders for you. You and the groomsmen have your final fittings tomorrow afternoon at two. You need to be at the church on Saturday afternoon at one and make sure that it is no later than 1:05." I opened my binder and pulled out an orange (used for schedules and timing) sheet of paper to give to him. "It's all written down on here for you." Despite having been deemed acceptable for society, Gilderoy had a habit of forgetting things easily if they weren't written down. Apparently that's to be expected.

Gilderoy smiled his 'charming' smile. According to my mother, it was that exact smile that had won her over. Personally, I didn't see what was so great about it. "Thank you, love." I cringed, but said nothing. "I will be sure to be there, on schedule." He said with another smile, teasing me about my need for organization. I didn't smile back.

"Well," I said. "If you don't need me for anything…" I trailed off.

"No, no." He said. "You go. I know your mother must have plenty of other things for you to do." He stood up and walked me to the door. "You know, Austin, this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship." I didn't respond.

Which, apparently, he took as a cue to open his arms widely and embrace me. I felt my spine stiffen at this but he took no notice as he pulled away and opened the door to the office. "See you later, _daughter_." He winked.

Kill. Me. Now.

* * *

It's nearly 9:00 Saturday morning as I enter my house from getting a manicure and pedicure and I can already hear my mother freaking out.

Her hair is in curlers and she's still wearing her bathrobe. From personal experience, I know that she's still got three hours of getting ready but instead of finishing up like she should be, she's screaming into the phone. "It's supposed to be four Arabians pulling the carriage, not two Palominos!"

My older brother, Corey, is trying to calm her down. He looks like he just rolled out of bed, and, knowing Naish, he probably had. His attempts to calm her down are fruitless; she's on DefCon 1 right now.

"Mom," I said. "I got this. I'll get you your Arabians. Go get ready." Corey snorts and Mom looks at me skeptically but starts up the stairs, handing me the phone as she passes.

"Lou," I said. "It's me. I need those horses."

"I know Austin," Lou Biggs, the guy who always provides transportation to my mother's wedding, says. "But I can't get you the four Arabians. One of 'em broke a foot and I ain't got another one." Lou's originally a New Yorker. He's still got the accent even if his transportation companies have him flying all over the world.

I groaned. "All right Lou, let me know what my alternatives are."

40 minutes later, I enter my mother's room. She's sitting at her vanity while her hairdresser teases her hair. As soon as she sees me, Mom stands up and rushes over. "Tell me you fixed it."

"Lou's getting you the Arabians." I tell her. "But it's gonna cost you."

Cost, of course, means nothing to my mother now. A long time ago, money had been tight for us. That had been back before her novels made the best-selling lists. Back when we had lived day by day, paycheck to paycheck of whatever bar Mom worked in, in the tiny apartment with the funny name.

She waved me off, smiling widely, knowing she got what she wanted. I turned and rolled my eyes, walking out of the room to go get ready myself.

At 1:00, the rest of the bridesmaids show up at the house, dresses in hand, so as not to ruin them. At this point in my life, the other bridesmaids and I considered my mother's weddings to be more like reunions. We'd catch up and gossip about all the people who usually came and how they changed until it was time to make the walk we'd made so many times before.

At 1:30, the bridesmaids and I were gathered in the foyer, dressed and ready to go, waiting for my mother. The bridesmaids were wearing a short, one shouldered dress in the cornflower blue that was part of the color scheme my mother had picked out. I, as the maid of honor, was wearing a short, strapless, satin number in the same color.

I watched as my mother descended down the stairs in her long, white, cap-sleeved gown, my breath catching in my throat at how beautiful she looked, as usual. In this dress, she looked at least ten years younger, which was not necessarily a good thing considering how much older her husband was than her, but she looked incredible.

Much chattering occurred as the bridesmaids gushed over my mother and how beautiful she looked, and then again as the three bridesmaids, my mother, and myself loaded into the carriage to take us to the venue, this time being a beautiful gardens.

I reached into my clutch and pulled out my iPhone. 1:40, on the dot.

Right on schedule.

* * *

"And finally," the singer of the band was on stage, making a speech, thanking the guests and bride and groom. "a big thanks to the beautiful…" I gagged. The singer, a twenty something sleazy guy named Jesse, had taken every opportunity he'd be given to hit on me all night. Apparently he didn't notice my visual reaction to his compliment because he had continued on without hesitation. "Austin Pacchione, daughter of the bride, for planning this entire ceremony and reception." There was applause as everyone turned to look at me. I smiled politely as I slipped into my seat between Naish and a blonde girl I didn't recognize.

Actually, most of the table was filled with people that I didn't recognize. I knew this would be the case; I had purposely created a table of people I knew I liked or were close to my age.

Corey was looking at me, a questioning look on his face. I nodded and smiled. "Ok, now I will have a drink."

He grinned. "Atta girl." Corey turned in his seat, ignoring the look his girlfriend Tia was giving him, and grabbed a flute of champagne off of the tray of a passing waiter.

"Should she really be drinking?" Tia, Corey's snotty girlfriend, asked. "She's not legal."

But she was ignored by all as I took my champagne from my brother, tilted it back to my mouth, and drained it.

"Easy there Boozy," My oldest brother, Chris, teased me.

"Hey," I protested. "Boozy? I haven't gotten falling over drunk in _months_. Last time that happened was back in…April!" I said.

"And that might not even count," Chris's wife, Rachel, said. "Because we're still not sure whether or not she was drugged!"

"Yeah," I said in agreement. "And I don't sleep around _nearly_ as much as I used to."

"Well you're practically a saint then, aren't you?" Corey smirked.

"Saint Austin." Chris said. "I like it."

I laughed. "Seriously, guys. I have done nothing but plan this wedding for months. I've dealt with screaming, crying, tantrums, decisions…and that was only from mom."

"And for that," Chris reached over to another passing waiter holding alcohol and grabbed a shot. "you _deserve_ a drunken night." We clinked glasses together and knocked them back, laughing as we placed them back on the table.

"Wow," Teddy Lupin, who I now considered somewhat of a brother, shook his head at me. "Don't go driving anywhere tonight." He laughed.

Teddy Lupin had met my brother Chris when Chris first moved here to start up the European branch of . The thing about muggle things is that they always become popular in the Wizarding world, years later. Whether that be songs, clothes, or electronics. The computer and internet had only become available in the last 10 years.

Obviously, wizards couldn't go around selling their old but gently used cauldrons on ebay with all the muggle stuff. That's where Chris came in. He created WizBay to auction off Wizarding items.

Anyway, Chris had moved to London to launch the European headquarters of WizBay. He and Teddy Lupin met when Chris moved into the apartment across the hall. The two had become fast friends, as had Rachel and Teddy's girlfriend, Victoire, who were sitting right next to each other, laughing loudly, at my antics and my brothers, Teddy included.

"Teddy," The blonde next to me said. "Just because _you_ are a horrible drunk driver doesn't mean the rest of us are."

"Yeah," The dark, messy haired boy next to her said. "I'm a _great_ drunk driver."

"Dom, James," Teddy said. "You, as the oldest of the family in Hogwarts, should be setting a good example for the younger ones." He gestured to the two red haired young teens next to him, one male and one female. "So shut up and talk to Austin. She'll be starting Hogwarts in September with you. Seventh year, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I should be in sixth year, technically, because of how you do school. But we do our schooling differently, so I'll be in seventh year this year."

"So you get to finish school a year before you thought you would?" The boy Teddy called 'James' asked. I nodded. "Awesome!" He said.

I laughed. "Yeah, it's all right. I only had to leave the only school and place I've ever known to do it."

He pondered that for a couple of seconds. "Yeah, all right. I'll give you that one…" He trailed off. "Sorry, I forget your name."

"Austin." I told him. "Austin Pacchione."

"Austin." James nodded. "Well, _Austin_, my name is James Potter and this," He gestured to the blonde sitting between us. "is my cousin Dominique Weasley."

"DON'T call me Dominique." The blonde girl said. "It's just Dom."

"Dom it is." I said.

Dom turned to Teddy. "I like her. Where have you been hiding her?"

"Across the pond." Teddy said laughing.

And this was the point where my night made a turn. Jesse (who shall be better known as the Sleazy Singer when I tell this story in the future) announced that the band would be taking a break, put on some good, teenage dance music, and made a straight beeline for our table.

"Hello Miss Austin," He greeted. James, Teddy, Chris, and Corey all snorted into their drinks. I bit back a laugh. Dom, however, was not so…polite…and laughed out loud.

"Hi Jesse," I said, politely.

"So, how about you take a walk with me and help me find the bar." Jesse raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sure," I nodded. The table gaped at me. "It's straight ahead and to your left." Everyone laughed.

"Come on," He said. "I was thinking you'd come with me."

"Well you thought wrong," I said, taking a sip of the elf-made wine someone had just poured me.

"I'm a musician." He said.

"I don't date musicians." I said.

"What?" Jesse asked, pretending to be shocked. "You don't date musicians? But girls love musicians. After all, every girl wants a song written about them."

"Not this girl." Chris and Corey exchanged looks.

"Well, I play Quidditch too." Jesse said.

Christ, did this guy ever give up. "Is that supposed to impress me?"

"It generally does, yes." Jesse said. "Usually gets me a date, gives me a chance to really woo her."

Woo? Really, now. "Well I don't date Quidditch players either."

He opened his mouth to speak, but Dom cut him off. "Just don't bother. She obviously _doesn't _want you here." She pointed toward the bar. "Buh bye." Jesse turned a walked toward the bar, clearly sulking as he did so.

"Thank you," I said to her, holding up my glass to toast her.

"Cheers," She grinned, clinking hers against mine. As we did so, Britney Spears' "Radar" came out of the speakers. Now, Britney Spears happens to be among the many muggle music stars that I _adore_.

"I love this song," I announced and found that I was not the only one saying that. Dom had said the same thing, at the same time.

"Dance?" She questioned.

"Dance." I confirmed and we stood to make our way to the dance floor.

As we did so, we heard Teddy say, "Looks like you'll have a new friend this school year, James."

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**A/N: So, did you like it so far?**


	2. You've Got a Friend in Me

**A/N: **Thanks everyone. Here's the next chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I only own Austin and the other OCs.

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_We stick together and we see it through  
you've got a friend in me  
"You've Got a Friend In Me"- Randy Newman_

The wedding was not as bad as I thought it would be, thanks to my new best friend Dom. She and I had spent the entire evening talking and avoiding Gilderoy's strange nieces, nephew, and cousins, all of which seemed to be fascinated by us.

"It's like they've never seen a pretty girl before." Dom had grumbled.

We spent the entire evening talking or dancing. Shortly after our Britney dance, my sister-in-law, Rachel, and her sister-from-birth, Victoire, joined us on the dance floor and the four of us had started what Corey referred to as "a commotion attracting stares from all tables and glares from their table". Of course, the four of us hadn't cared; we just kept dancing crazily.

Soon after that though, dinner was served and the four of us sat down at the table again. Which is when Dom and I got to talking. She told me that James was her best friend, and they had another mutual best friend, Lucas Wood. I told her I had no best friend.

We talked about the pressures faced from society and paparazzi. She, being the daughter of Bill and Fleur Weasley (her dad's the head of Gringott's and her mom has a TV talk show…not to mention, she's Harry Potter's _niece_), and I being the daughter of a best-selling romance novelist and a Quidditch playing musician, both understand what it's like to have people following you because of what your parents do.

"The reason James and I became friends with Luke in the first place is because he actually understood that." Dom confided in me.

Luke, being Lucas Wood, only son of Oliver Wood, former Quidditch Keeper extraordinaire turned current coach, and Adrienne Armstrong, international supermodel. "But he likes his step-mom so much better." His step-mom, I learned, was Alicia Spinnet, best-selling journalist.

She had also told me about her small crush on said best friend. "Except he thinks of me as a sister, so nothing could ever happen." In return, I told her that I thought her cousin James was gorgeous (which he totally was).

So now it's September 1 and I'm standing inside a compartment in the Hogwarts Express and let me tell you, it's freaking awesome. I mean, I've never traveled to school by train before. In America, we don't do that. I've been on the train for a total of ten minutes now and already three different guys have come to hit on me. I'm hoping (though somewhat doubtful) that it's because they haven't had a new girl to flirt with in a while.

Dom comes in the compartment and squeals, rushing over to hug me. At the same time, I rush over to hug her. Now, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that two squealing teenage girls rushing to hug each other should end in disaster. And, of course, it did.

"OW!" We both say, rubbing out foreheads as we look around us. From the doorway, we hear a snicker.

We both look up (seeing as we're on the floor) and see James standing there laughing. With him, is a blond boy, and man, am I impressed.

It is quite easy to understand _why_ these are the two hottest guys in Hogwarts (from what Dom tells me everyone says). I mean, you've got James, who, with his messy black hair and gorgeous blue eyes (how on earth he got blue eyes when his brother has green and his sister has brown is beyond me. Recessive gene?), is just beautiful. And this blond (who I'm taking to be Luke Wood) has these teal eyes that anyone would just melt in.

Apparently, the four of us are a good looking group. I'm getting this from the group of young girls that walked by and pointed at us, claiming to her friends that she "wants to be as pretty as them" (meaning us) when she grows up.

I mean, I guess we're pretty. Oh, who am I kidding? Dom's freaking incredible, with her blonde hair, blue eyes, and Veela gene and I suppose I'm not ugly (ok, not to sound conceited, but I know I'm pretty. Enough people have told me by now that it's stuck in my head) with my shiny brown hair and sparkly hazel eyes.

The boys walk into the compartment, James greeting me with a smile and a nod of his head. "Aus-tin." He said, dragging out the last syllable of my name.

"Ja-ames." I say, taking his one syllable name and turning it into two.

James laughs as he sits down next to me. He points across the compartment to the other bench (where Dom and his friend are now sitting) and says, "That's Luke."

"Hi Luke," I greeted. "I'm Austin."

"Hey Austin," He smiles and I can totally see why Dom has a crush on him. He has a wonderful smile.

"Austin's my new favorite person." James tells his best friend, who looks at him curiously. "Because she doesn't' sleep around _nearly_ as much as she used to." He said, quoting something I had said at the wedding.

"You've just been waiting to say that, haven't you?" I asked.

"Pretty much." Dom answered for him.

Luke ignored us and just responded to James' last statement. "Which implies that she still sleeps around…"

"But that she used to do it all the time." James finished. "And if there's one thing we love…"

"It's a girl who _doesn't_ want a 'relationship," Luke made a face, pretending to show disgust at the thought. "And only wants sex."

"Well I'm your girl for that." I laughed along with them. Relationships weren't really my thing. I mean, come on, my mother's been married five, count 'em, five times. I've seen relationships go wrong pretty much every way possible.

"You're right." Luke told James. "She is definitely our new best friend."

* * *

"It's no pressure," Dom had assured me. "But you better be in Gryffindor." Now, I'll be honest. Luke, James, Dom, and I had spent the entire ride here to Hogwarts just laughing and joking around. So, when she told me this while they were leaving to get on a carriage and I was about to follow the little first years to the boats to cross the lake, I hadn't the slightest clue of what she was talking about. But the words had floated around my head, as I joined a couple of kids and waited for my first view of the castle.

Which, if you were wondering, was absolutely beautiful. Like incredible. But we were ushered out of the boats and into a chamber, where a dark haired professor greeted us, introducing himself as Professor Longbottom, Head of Gryffindor House. Well, that solves that problem. Professor Longbottom tells us that we only have to wait a couple minutes, then pulls me aside and tells me, that at the request of Dom (who can be quite scary when she wants to), I will be sorted first. I've yet to decide if this is good luck or not.

Professor Longbottom came back into the chamber and told us to line up because it was time to go. He pulled me up front, right next to him, claiming that he doesn't want to make it obvious that I'm there.

Yeah, ok, Professor Longbottom. I mean, I'm not exactly tall, standing at a whooping 5 feet and 4 inches (technically average height) but compared to these shrimpy little kids, I'm a freaking giant.

Professor Longbottom makes the announcement that there is a new, transfer student and pulls me up front. There's a tattered looking hat sitting on the stool, which he gestures me to sit on, picking the hat up in his hands as I near it.

Suddenly, my eyes, ears, and half of my head is covered.

And the hat starts talking! Yes, talking! Now, even in the magical world, where the unexpected should pretty much be expected, a talking hat is pretty crazy. So, as any normal person would do when an unidentifiable voice is talking to them, I jump about three feet in the air, barely manage to land on the stool again, letting out a loud yelp as this happens.

The hat snickers at me. I'm really not sure how to react to this so I just sit there. The hat starts debating with itself, on Ravenclaw (the hat thinks I'm smart!), Slytherin (because I have a "dark side". Clearly the hat can read my thoughts on the different things I'd like to do to my mother someday.), and Gryffindor (because I, like every other Gryffindor, possess this wonderful ability to blurt out whatever comes to mind without thinking about who it will effect.). When it mentions Gryffindor, Dom's words come to mind again and the hat says," Friends with a Weasley, already? That settles it. GRYFFINDOR!" It shouts that last part and I stand and make my way over to the table clapping loudest.

I walk over to where James, Dom, and Luke are sitting. Dom stands up and leans across the table to hug me. We start wobbling because, come on, it's really hard to hug someone across a huge table, so James, who's to my left, and Luke, who's across from James, reach their hands out to steady us and pull us back on the bench.

James rests his arm on my shoulder after he pulls me down. "How's it feel to be the newest addition to Gryffindor?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Ask that kid." I point down to the end of the table, where a small blond first year boy is sitting down. I grinned at James.

"Oh yeah," James said, smirking. "We'll get along just fine."

* * *

"This school is going to make me fat." I moaned as James, Dom, and Luke show me the way up to Gryffindor tower.

James rolled his eyes. "Why do all girls think they're fat?"

"I don't _think _I'm fat." I corrected him. "I said, I'm going to _be_ fat."

"Trick step." James warns me, choosing to ignore my last statement. Despite his warning, I step into the trick step anyway. "Man, do you fall over everything?"

"Yes," I said. "Pretty much. You haven't seen anything yet. I can manage to trip on a flat, dry surface. I trip up stairs, fall down them. This is nothing." James and Luke each grab an arm and pull me out, laughing as they did so.

"Man, I can't wait to see that." Luke teased as Dom stops walking. She gives the password to the lady in the portrait, who swings forward to let us in.

I gasp."This is incredible." The others laugh at me, having seen it so many times before. "Look, there's a fireplace." I exclaimed as I grabbed James' arm and point in that direction.

He laughs at my childish antics. "We can go over there." He leads me over there, followed by Dom and Luke. I immediately settle myself down in one of the large, comfy armchairs. James sits on the couch, Luke sits down next to him, and Dom squeezes with me on the armchair.

No sooner do I start wondering why she sat with me (because there was another seat on the couch and a whole other armchair) when two boys join us, one sitting on the couch and the other on the armchair. Clearly, this is a common occurrence.

The boy sitting on the opposite side of Luke on the couch introduces himself as Nick Giaimo. He's not as tall as Luke or James (maybe 5'11 compared to their 6'3), but he's just as gorgeous with beautiful Italian features including dark hair, dark eyes, and olive toned skin. In fact, Dom's decided that we look so much alike (both having previously mentioned dark hair and olive toned skin) that he's going to be my honorary Hogwarts brother.

The other boy, sitting in the arm chair, has lighter brown hair, gray eyes, and is named Scott Hawthorne. He and Nick share a dormitory with Luke and James. Apparently, these four are actually all best friends, although Luke and James, and Nick and Scott are closer with each other. Dom, of course, is practically their princess, a position she both loves and hates.

Around 9:00, Dom pulls me upstairs, so that we can unpack our stuff a little before going to bed. She pulls me in the room, and shows me to my bed, which is next to hers.

A bleach-blonde haired girl brushes past me, glaring at me. I wince and look at Dom.

Dom rolls her eyes. "That's Arielle." She pronounced it AR-ielle, stressing the AR.

"So not like the Little Mermaid?" I ask. Dom looks confused. "Never mind," I say. "Muggle thing." My father, being muggleborn, had drilled it into my mother that he wanted his kids to know their muggle heritage. And my mother had followed through on that.

Dom nods. "Anyway, her name's Arielle Sven. The other two," she gestures over to the other bleach blondes on either side of Arielle. "are her clones, Brittany Guide and Danielle Berman."

"What's with the death glares?" I asked, for all three of the bleached blondes were all glaring at me.

"Well," Dom said, sitting down on my bed. I joined her. "Back in first year, Arielle and I used to be best friends. She used to be really nice, actually. Trust me, it doesn't seem like it anymore, but she did. Right up until third year, when her crush on James started. That's when we really stopped being good friends, but I mean, we were still ok. Until fifth year, when she drunkenly hooked up with James at a party. James, who was really, really, just totally _wasted_ that night, ignored her the next day, and kept ignoring her and one day, she snapped at me and that pretty much ended everything."

"I'm, sorry," I tell her honestly.

She shrugged. "Eh, it's fine." She turned to me. "Besides, I have you now." I grinned and wrapped my arms around her neck. She does the same to me and we sit there for a few moments before both standing up to unpack again.

* * *

"Morning sleepyhead." James teases us as Dom and I enter the Great Hall. Both of us look tired, for neither of us had wanted to get up early and go to class after a summer full of sleeping late.

"Coffee." I say, pointing to it.

"Did you sleep alright?" Luke asks.

"Coffee." Dom says, repeating me.

"Did you guys get unpacked alright last night?" James asks, smirking.

"Coffee." I reiterate.

"Did you…" Luke starts to ask, a grin gracing his face.

"Just pass us the goddamn coffee!" Dom practically shouts and James and Luke reach on opposite sides, each handing one of us a pitcher of coffee.

Luckily Professor Longbottom, who overhears her last statement, lets her off with just a warning look. I expect he knows Dom in the morning is not very pleasant. He hands us our schedules, without a word, and continues down the table.

I, unsure of just what I would like to do after school (to be fair, I thought I had another year), took the basic five of Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology, and have every class with James, who wants to do something Quidditch related (Dom says he's good enough to play professionally) and therefore decided to stick to those same basic five.

Luke and Dom, crazy kids that they are, were taking the same five subjects that James and I were, but also adding in Arithmancy. Luke wants to be a curse breaker and Dom just likes math.

I find this school incredibly strange. Students arrive at school September 1, no matter what day it is. It was a Thursday this year. Today is Friday. We have classes today and then a whole weekend off. My mind is totally boggled.

On the plus side, though, it's barely even 9:00 in the morning and already James has informed me that he, Luke, Nick, and Scott are throwing a party tonight. And if there's one thing I love, it's a good party.

* * *

**A/N:** So, what did we think about it? Next chapter should be up pretty soon.


	3. What to Wear

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everybody! I'm glad you like the story, and I'm glad that you all like Austin too.**

_She's got her hopes up,  
got 'em up to there,  
wondering what to wear  
"What to Wear"-Taylor Swift_

Dom's trying to curl her eyelashes with her wand when I come out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. She, despite having been out of the shower for a good 15 minutes now, is still wrapped in her towel, in front of the mirror. I laugh, as I reach into my make-up bag, pull out my mascara bag, and toss it over to her.

"You are a lifesaver." She says, catching it one-handed. She had been moaning about how she left her mascara at home for the entire day. Luckily, her mom had agreed to send it.

I search through my closet, trying to find something to wear. I settle on a shell colored, floral printed tube top (a la Free People), dark wash skinny jeans, and super high heeled, black peep toed slingbacks. I throw the clothing I plan on wearing on my bed, pick up my wand, and go to work with my hair.

Dom tells me to straighten my hair tonight, so I do so, quickly with my wand. Next comes, painting my nails, and I choose a sweet pink that matches the pink in my top perfectly. The nail polish dries as I decide which make up to wear, and I keep it simple, with some mascara, eyeliner, and lip gloss.

I finish changing and turn around to find Dom looking beautiful, as usual. She's dressed simply, in dark wash skinny jeans (similar to mine), a plain, tight, black lace trimmed tank top, and red high heels.

We stand in front of the mirror, looking into it, both of us cocking our heads toward each other.

"Good to go?" I ask.

"Good to go." She confirms and we walk out the dormitory door and downstairs.

The party is already in full swing. I see people that I know definitely aren't in Gryffindor and then a ton of people I already know. Dom snickers as she sees James shake off Arielle and make his way over to us.

"Could you go cover up more?" James asks his cousin, not bothering to greet us.

Dom blinks once at him. "I have more clothing on than every girl in this room." She pauses, thoughtfully. "Well, except for maybe Austin." While her top has straps and mine doesn't, my top is a bit longer. I guess it evens out.

James looks around the room. "Yeah, go put more clothes on." He says. Dom rolls her eyes and brushes past him, headed for the bar, where Luke, Nick, and Scott are. James turns and focuses on me. "You clean up nice." He tells me, with a smirk on his face.

"You've seen me "cleaned up more than you've seen me not," I remind him.

James laughs. "Very true, New Girl, very true." He puts his arm around my shoulders and guides me over to the bar, pointing out different people as we go."

"That's Lorcan Scamander," James says, pointing to a blond boy, about my age, waving something in the air away with his hands. "Yes, he always acts like that." I can't help myself; I laugh.

"And that's Andy Macmillan. Quite possibly the most pompous person I've ever met." James says, pointing to another guy. "He's in our year, and trust me, he always puffs his chest out like that," Before I can even laugh, James is telling me about someone else. "That girl there, dancing on the table, pretending to be drunk, is Jess Chang. Her mum went to school with my parents, and supposedly, even her mum is unsure of who her father is. "I wince, just as we reach the bar.

The three boys and Dom are laughing at something. Upon looking over where they are, James and I discover that it's not some_thing_ that they're laughing at; it's some_one_.

James and I burst into laughter as we spot a blond kid popping and locking on the dance floor.

"Oh, Lysander." Luke wipes tears away from his eyes.

James leans over to me and whispers in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "Lysander Scamander, twin brother of Lorcan Scamander. Equally as weird, in a totally different way."

I laugh and turn to Nick, who's behind the bar. "What do you have?"

"Everything." Nick says. "Wizard, muggle. You name a type of liquor and we have it." My eyes widened.

"You plan on getting falling over drunk and sleeping around tonight?" James teased.

"And so what if I am?" I say to him, then ask Nick for a shot of tequila.

James snickers. "Nothing, I might have to write to your brothers though, tell 'em Saint Austin can no longer work."

I make a face at him, then pick up my shot and pour it into my mouth.

"You are the only person I have ever seen _not_ make face on their first tequila shot of the night." Nick told me, clearly in awe. "Here, watch." He poured and passed Scott a shot, who picked it up and knocked it back. It was clear, he was trying not to make a face, but after a few seconds, he grimaced. We all laughed.

Dom grabs my hand. "Dance?"

"Dance." And we take off to the middle of the dance floor.

* * *

It's pretty late now and everyone is definitely feeling the alcohol they've had. James is off with some blonde, Luke is with a brunette, Scott is with a Hufflepuff sixth year and Nick is telling off the boy that was dancing "too close" to his younger sister. Dom is on the dance floor with her cousin and James' brother, Albus, dancing crazily.

"What's a pretty girl like you standing here all by herself?" I look to my left and see an absolutely gorgeous guy. I mean, this guy was beautiful. Sandy, blond hair, brown eyes, tall, and muscular, he was pretty much anything a girl would want in a guy.

I raise my eyebrows at him. "And wait, let me guess. You took time away from _your_ busy schedule to come over here and make sure I was ok."

He nodded and shot me a smile. "Of course. I can't just let a girl stand here by herself; it is, after all, a party."

"Of course not." I say sarcastically.

He laughs. "I'm Rian."

"Austin." I put my cup down to shake the hand he offered.

"Care to dance, Austin?" Rian asks.

"Absolutely," I answer, and he pulls me to the dance floor. Dom's eyes are wide as we pass her and Albus. I look at her confused and she doesn't acknowledge me, only nudges Albus, who stops dancing, looks over at me and Rian, and drops his drink on the carpet, eyes as wide as, if not wider, than Dom's.

Rian twirls me quickly and as I come back in, I put my arm around his neck.

"Everyone's staring." I remark.

"They're just jealous." Rian brushes it off.

"Of what?" I ask.

"That we…" He trails off and looks around us. "That we are the best looking couple here."

"You totally just made that up." I accuse, giggling.

He shrugged. "So what if I did? It doesn't make it false." I roll my eyes as the tempo slows and he pulls me closer.

It's then that it hear it. Those opening chords; I cringe. Rian looks at me. "I…I'm sorry. I…I have to go." And I pull away and go running up the stairs to the dormitory, leaving poor Rian in the middle of the dance floor, looking super confused.

* * *

I'm sitting at breakfast in the Great Hall, holding my pounding head, when Dom comes up to me. "Rian Davies?" She practically screeches. I wince and groan, slapping my hands over my ears. "Oh," Dom seems to remember something and hands me the little bottle in her hand. "Never-Fail Hangover Cure." She whispers.

I nod, and hold it up toward her, silently thanking her, before drinking it all. Slightly cherry flavored (Yuck!) but I start feeling better almost instantly. "Ok, I'm good now." I tell her.

"Good." Dom says, sitting down. "Rian Davies?"

"He's gorgeous." I tell her. "But he probably thinks I'm crazy."

Dom rolled her eyes. "He doesn't think you're crazy."

"I ditched him in the middle of the dance floor." I say, helping myself to some food, now feeling like I can stomach it.

Dom's eyes go as wide as they were last night. "Why?" She practically whines.

I bit my lip, wondering how to say this, finally deciding on the truth. I tell her everything, about my parents, and my dad, and the song and my reaction to the song, every time.

Dom wraps her arms around me when I finish. "Well, we'll just have to talk to him another time then." Her blue eyes sparkle, and I'm honestly kind of worried, but before I can say anything, James, Luke, and Nick sit down with us.

"Where's Scottie?" Dom asks.

"Bed." Nick says. "He took a Hangover Cure and he _still_ feels like shit." We all wince; each and every one of us has been in that position before.

"Let's do something today." James suggests. "This time next week, we'll have homework and Quidditch, we don't have anything today."

"It's beautiful outside." Luke adds.

"How about we go out by the lake?" Dom asks. "We'll go change into bathing suits after we eat and head down. Wake Scottie up and see if he wants to come."

Nick laughs. "Oh I'll wake him, but I doubt he'll be right down. Maybe this afternoon. At like 3. Once he can get his arse out of bed."

* * *

"Come on Austin!" Dom exclaims, for I'm in the bathroom changing into my bikini. She, having beat me up to the dormitory, had gotten into the bathroom first, and was now grilling me to hurry.

"Ok, ok." I say, adjusting the straps on my bikini top. It had been a while since I had wore this one, and the straps weren't where I wanted them to be. "I'm ready, are you happy?" I walk outside of the bathroom and over to my bed.

Dom whistles. "Maybe Rian'll come out by the lake today." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. She's got on a green and white striped halter bikini top on, that's got a silver brooch-type thing where the two triangles come together, and a plain green bottom.

"Red is definitely your color." Dom muses as I reach into my wardrobe and pull out a pair of Hollister jean shorts and a plain white cami.

"Thanks," I tell her, looking into the full length mirror on my door, before pulling my clothes on over my plain, red, string bikini.

I turn around and find Dom dressed similar to me, also wearing short jeans shorts and a plain tank top, hers orange.

"Let's gooooo." Dom drags out the last word.

"Okkkkk." I reply and we make our way out of the dormitory, down the stairs, out of the tower, down to the entrance, out the doors, and to the lake.

"Scott still sleeping?" Dom says, as we meet James, Luke, and Nick by the lake. Those three are ready to go, wearing only their bathing suits, their shirts in a pile nearby.

"Yep," James says and Dom and I start pulling our tank tops off. "And he told us not to worry about coming in for lunch. He's going to stop off at the kitchens on his way down and grab some food."

"You know where the kitchens are?" I say, eyes wide.

My four friends exchange looks. "We know where everything is." Luke says, but doesn't elaborate and I don't ask.

"So, who's rea…" James trails off, finally actually looking at me.

"Like what you see?" I tease him, walking over to him. He smirks at me, but doesn't respond, which makes me nervous.

Next thing I know, he's picked me up, bridal style, and he's running toward the lake. Meanwhile, I'm freaking out, screeching, "JAMES, PUT ME DOWN! PLEASE!" He slows down, but doesn't stop. "James, that's the lake, James, put me down."

"Down?" He asks.

I nod, "Down."

James smirks. "Well, alright." He drops me down and now I'm wet. When I asked him to put me down, I hadn't realized that we were in the lake. I stand up, completely soaked. To his credit, James did look slightly worried as I walked toward him.

"Oh James," I say, reaching out and hugging him. I pretend to lose my balance, and he pulls me up, turning us around. He looks uncertain, as I lean into the hug more, but wraps his arms around me in return. As quickly as possible, as with all my strength, I push him backward and he lands in the lake. "Water's pretty nice, isn't it?"

James pulls me down and soon the two of us are laughing as we push each other under, splash each other, even spit water at each other. It's not long before Dom, Luke, and Nick are joining us and soon we're in a full-on war.

* * *

Dom and I are lying on the grass, soaking up the sun, while the three boys are still horsing around in the water. I had brought my iPod out, along with the iHome, put the charm on it to allow it to work in magic, and were taking turns choosing songs. Dom chooses Taylor Swift's "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" and the two of us jump up and start dancing, ignoring the looks people are giving us.

The song changes, but Dom and I don't stop dancing. We dance, pulling off crazy moves, for six or seven songs before collapsing onto the ground, arms spread out.

No sooner have we done that, Scott comes out, carrying a boatload of food with him. He's giving us a look that clearly says he thinks we're crazy and just rolls his eyes as he sits down, along with James, Nick, and Luke.

The six of us immediately start eating. "I didn't even realize how hungry I was." Dom comments.

"Time flies when you're looking ridiculous," James teases his cousin.

Before Dom can respond, sandy-haired, brown eyed, gorgeous looking Rian Davies comes up to us, accompanied by a guy with light brown hair and hazel eyes. "Hey Austin," He greets me. "Dom," She waves. He nods at the boys. "Boys." James scowls at him and the other three don't look too friendly either.

"Hey Rian," I say, ignoring the boys. "How are you?" I ask politely.

"Well we're actually a little disappointed," His friend butts in before Rian can answer. Rian starts massaging his temples, clearly worried about what will be said. "You see, a third year told us that there were two hot girls outside, dancing in their bikinis."

"Afore mentioned third year failed to mention just how beautiful these girls really were." Rian adds, smiling charmingly.

"Please, keep the compliments coming," Dom says. "You're doing wonders for my ego." She cocks her head, almost challengingly, and looks at Rian's friend.

James opens his mouth, probably to tell Rian and his friend that if they make one more compliment to Dom, then it'll be the last compliment they ever make, but Dom silences him with a glare. He gets up and goes down into the lake, quickly followed by the Luke, Nick, and Scott.

"May we sit?" Rian asks.

"Sure," I say, and Rian and his friend sit down and face Dom and I.

"So, this Derek," Rian says, gesturing to his friend.

"They're best friends." Dom informs me.

"Hi, I'm Austin." I smile at Derek, who laughs.

"Oh I know," He says. "You're all this guy could talk about." He lightly punched his best friend's arm.

I blush as Rian rolls his eyes. "Just ignore him. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Ok, "I laugh. Rian hasn't acknowledged my moment of stupidity last night and I'm grateful.

Silence. Rian plays with a piece of grass, Derek drums his fingers on his leg. Dom's picking at her cuticles and I'm drawing pictures into the patch of dirt next me.

"Great weather we're having, isn't it?" Derek says weakly, but it's enough because we all start to laugh and conversation begins to flow.

* * *

**A/N**:** So, what did you guys think? Did you like it? **


	4. Unwritten

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everybody. I'm glad people actually are liking this. Sorry about the wait, I was away last week.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

**_Live your life with arms wide open  
Today is where your book begins,  
The rest is still unwritten.  
"Unwritten"- Natasha Bedingfield_

When Dom and I arrive at breakfast, early Monday morning, there are already two cups of coffee waiting for us. She and I take our usual places, next to Luke and James respectively and each shoot a smile of gratitude to the boy next to us.

"What do we have today?" Dom asks and Luke pulls out his schedule.

"Transfiguration, free, potions, arithmancy." He reads aloud.

"Yes!" James cheers. "End of the day free periods are the best!" He explains to me.

"Can't wait." I laugh as James' brother Albus and cousin Rose come to join us.

"Hello, love." Albus greets me as he sits on my other side. A group of Sixth Year girls glare at me from the end of the table due to the simple fact that I am sitting between the Potter boys. I'm sure the fact that Luke is sitting across from me has something to do with it as well.

I open my arms wide for a hug from Albus, who spent the day with us yesterday, and is the official love of my life. Besides being cute (in a semi-awkward way), the guy is smart, thoughtful, and hysterical.

Albus grins and wraps me in a big bear hug (as best as we can do on the bench we're on). More glares.

"What do you guys have today?" Dom asks, making conversation with her cousins.

"Herbology, Arithmancy, free, Transfiguration." Rose recites, not even taking her schedule out. I'm impressed.

I pout. "We don't have any free periods together."

Albus pats my shoulder. "Someday, love, someday." I perk up and James laughs. The hall starts clearing out, signaling for everyone to get moving to class.

"Austin, I'm not sure this friendship is going to work out if you start liking my brother more than me." James teases as he stands up and grabs his bag,

"Suck it." I tell him and he laughs as we make our way out of the Great Hall with Luke, Dom, Nick, and Scott.

* * *

"It was nice of you all to sit down but I am afraid I will have to move you." Professor McGonagall says as she enters the Transfiguration room.

"Minnie!" James cries gleefully from his seat on my right. Dom, sitting at the table directly in front of me, begins to bang her head on the table. "I didn't know you were teaching."

"Well, Potter, I have decided to teach one class of Transfiguration this year." Professor McGonagall gives James a (very) small, tight-lipped smile as she turns to look at him. "Your class is fortunate to be that one."

"What made you decide to come back to teaching, Minnie dear?" Luke asks. Dom bangs her head some more.

McGonagall turns her head slightly to address Luke. "I've missed teaching, Wood. It's good to be back."

"Well it's good to have you back." James nods.

"Thank you Mr. Potter." McGonagall says. "But you can stop buttering me up." James grins sheepishly and ruffles his hair. "Like I was saying before, your seats will be moving. Your new seat partner will be your partner for the project this quarter. Projects will be explained in depth on Wednesday, when you will choose your topics. They will be due Friday, October 30." A couple of the Ravenclaws on the opposite side of the room were scribbling on pieces of parchment.

"Ok, let's begin." McGonagall says. Minutes later, Luke and Dom haven't moved, Scott (who had previously been behind James and I) has moved back to the seat behind Nick, (unfortunately) paired with Arielle Sven. James has moved into Scott's old seat, next to Nick, and is intensely glaring at Rian Davies, who is sitting next to me in James' old seat.

"Well I guess you can't run from me now." Rian's brown eyes sparkle as he turns to me.

"God, are you _ever_ going to let that one go?" I ask.

He pretend to think for a minute. "No, not really."

I sigh dramatically. "I _guess_ I deserve it."

James leans forward, the animosity he feels toward Rian practically rolling off of him in waves. "Could you two be quiet? Some of us are trying to concentrate."

Dom turns around and whispers (kind of loudly) "Really, James, really? You've never paid attention to a class in your life. Why start now?"

"Well, um." James says. "Whatever, _Nick_ is trying to concentrate and he needs quiet."

"Actually James, the only person distracting me right now is you." Nick hisses as McGonagall turns our way. She raises an eyebrow at us. Luke, Dom, James, Nick, Rian, and I all look down, avoiding her gaze. She continues to talk, but the six of us discontinue our conversation.

Or at least we did, until Rian slides something toward me, right as the bell rings. He winks at me, sliding out of his seat and over to Derek, who gives him a knowing look as the two walk out of the classroom.

I open the parchment. _Library to start the project? After dinner. Wednesday night. If you don't say otherwise, I'll assume it's a date.

* * *

_

Dom and I spend out entire free period gossiping about all the different possibilities Rian's note could have meant. Which mean I'd have to get started on my transfiguration essay in my next free period, this afternoon. Oh well, James would be there, and he'd help me out.

Or at least, I hoped he would help me out. He hadn't spoken a word to me since the middle of class, before McGonagall cut us off, and about halfway through the free period that he, Dom, Luke, and I had spent in the Gryffindor Common Room, James had abruptly stood up and left the room, taking all his things with him. Luke had sent Dom and I an apologetic look before gathering his own things and running off after his best friend. Dom, too excited about Rian Davies to care about a little thing like her cousin, had brushed me off when I asked if he was ok and continued to debate with herself if Rian actually thought of it as a date or if he was just making sure I didn't make other plans.

However, while I had participated in Dom's little musings, I had ended up spending a lot of time thinking about James' departure. Since I had met him, James and I had been pretty close; he was by far my best friend here, after Dom. I knew that something was bothering him, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what.

Lunch was when I really knew something was up. When Dom and I entered the Great Hall, Luke and Scott were in their normal places. There was even a spot next to Luke open from Dom. The seat across from that was also empty, typically my seat. But instead of James being next to me, Nick was in his seat and James was where Nick usually sat.

I look over at Dom as she takes this in. "I told you he's upset about something." I hiss as we walk toward our group.

"I'll talk to him in potions." Dom promises.

But she never gets the chance to. Professor Slughorn doesn't even wait until everyone sits down in the dungeon before assigning seats. And guess who I'm next to?

That's right. James Potter. I guess I should be grateful that I have the opportunity to talk to James myself and see what's going on with him, but to be honest, I'm a bit nervous. I honestly don't know what I could have done to him between the end of breakfast and transfiguration.

"Hey," I greet him with a smile as I join him around our cauldron. He barely glances at me as he gives a small smile in greeting. Before I can say anything, Professor Slughorn begins a long lecture that takes up most of class. Finally, he stops talking and sends us all to work, preparing ingredients for tomorrow's class. James ignores me the entire time. "Ok, what is your problem?" I ask, getting angry. "This morning, we were fine, and then somehow, I've done something to offend you. So whatever it is that I've done, I'm sorry. Can we move on and will you stop acting like a girl?" I say.

James glares. "It's not something you did."

I let out a frustrated groan. "Then what's the problem James?"

"The problem?" He asks, turning to face me. "Austin, the problem is Rian Davies." His gaze into my eyes is intense, full of emotions, none of which I can identify. "I have watched that guy go through girl after girl, not caring a bit about any of them. And I know I sound like a hypocrite right now, but I don't want to see you become one of those girls that get their heart broken by Rian Davies." He reaches out and tucks a loose curl behind my ear. "Because you are honestly so much more than that. You _deserve_ so much more than that. And Rian Davies, no matter how nice and charming he may seem, is just a dirtbag." He pauses and when he continues, his voice is quieter, almost smaller, like he didn't want to say it. "I'm just worried about you."

A small smile crosses my face as James turns to look at me, the fire in his eyes dying out. "That's gotta be one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me, James."

He shrugs his shoulders and smirks. "Yeah, well, I try."

I laugh. "James, I appreciate you worrying about me, really, I do. But I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. I don't want Rian to come in between us. You've already become one of my best friends, but Rian is the first guy I've liked in a long time who hasn't tried to hook up with me two seconds after meeting me. He seems like a nice guy." James opened his mouth to protest so I spoke a little louder. "I heard everything you said James, I listened to all of it. And it's ringing around my head right now, and I promise I'll be careful. But I don't want you to be angry or upset with me if I end up dating Rian. I'll keep things slow, I promise. But I want you to support me, with whatever I decide, not be disappointed."

"Trust me, Austin," James says. "Nothing you do could disappoint me."

And the bell rings, so James stands up and exits, leaving me to ponder his last words.

* * *

"Trust me Austin, nothing you do could disappoint me." I repeat to Dom, for what has to be the thousandth time.

"But what does that mean?" Dom says, sitting up in her bed, like she has every time she's responded to what I told her James said.

Currently, the two of us are sitting in our dorm, the three fake blondes all in the common room doing something or other. Honestly, I couldn't care less about them. James' last words are still ringing around in my head; the note from Rian earlier hasn't even come to mind recently.

"If I knew what it meant, would we really _still_ be here talking about it?" I snap.

Dom flops back on her bed. I mimic her on my own bed. "No need to get snippy." She says. "I'm trying to figure this out too." She sighs. "I'll try and talk to him tomorrow."

I shake my head. "He's not going to say anything useful. He knows you'll just come and tell me whatever he says."

Dom sighs again. "Yeah, you're right." She sits up again, a mischievous look on her face. "I guess we'll just have to get it out of him another way."

That look on her face is really worrying me.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast everything is ok. Dom and I walk in the Great Hall and find James and Nick in their normal seats and empty seats open for Dom and I in our normal places next to James and Luke. When we walk to the table, there is already coffee there. Albus and Rose come to join us, Rose next to Dom and Albus on my other side.

It isn't until the mail comes in and the large bird swoops down toward our table that I groan.

"What's wrong, love?" James asks. Apparently both Potter boys use that term of endearment.

"That's my mom's owl." I say, taking the letter from the owl. "And I don't wanna write back but if I don't respond, she'll be pissed." I rip open the letter and scan it briefly. Then I let out a sigh of relief. "She's just sharing about how she likes being married… again."

"Again?" Luke says, looking at me. "You say it so casually, like it happens all the time."

"It does." I say, pushing the letter into my bag. "This is her fifth husband." Luke, Nick, and Scott all laugh. "I was serious." They stop.

"Five husbands?" Scott says. "You have five step fathers?" I nod. He shakes his head in amazement. "So how many siblings do you have?"

I shrug. "Just two. Both older. My mom doesn't have any other kids from her marriages. "

Scott laughs. "Man when you said your mom had five husbands, I pictured you with like twenty siblings."

"Sorry to disappoint." I roll my eyes.

"You never disappoint." Scott teases. My mind goes to what James had said yesterday. Dom laughs, her mind clearly going to the same place, and everyone stares.

"What?" She says. "That was funny."

James rolls his eyes and soon we're off to class.

* * *

So it's Wednesday night and I'm pacing the common room. A group of first years in the corner are staring.

"You've never seen a girl pace to make a decision before." I snap at them and they instantly look back at their books. I continue to pace.

As much as I want to go meet Rian in the library, something keeps stopping me. James' words, actually more like the look on his face when talking to me in potions the other day, keep popping into my head. And every time I make my way toward the portrait hole, I turn around and head back in. Hence, the pacing.

Suddenly, I hear some laughter. I turn toward the stairs, the direction of the laughter, to see James and Arielle standing there, clearly flirting.

Decision made.

* * *

**A/N: So what does everybody think?**


	5. Look at Me

**A/N: Wow, it's been a while. Sorry about the wait. I have no excuses except that it's been super busy. Sorry! Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. Here's this one.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the OCs.

* * *

**_Darling, look at me,  
I'm falling like a fool for you  
Darling can't you see  
I'd do anything you want me to  
"Look at Me"- Carrie Underwood  
_

"So what happened?" Dom practically shouts as soon as I enter the common room Wednesday night.

I give her a look as I make my way over to where she's sitting with the four boys. . "Like you weren't spying behind the shelves the entire time."

She grins sheepishly. "Ok, maybe I was." She pauses. "But I couldn't hear everything so you have to tell me."

I laugh. "We did prelim stuff for our project."

Dom looks disappointed. "Oh."

I laugh again. "Yeah, we decided to start by looking up who the hell Gamp is."

James nods. "Can't really do a project on Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfiguration without knowing who Gamp is." He teases.

I nod. "That's what I said." He shrugs, a smile on his face.

I decide not to mention the…ermm wonderful…things that Rian was saying about James. Let's put it this way. They rival the things James says about Rian.

James hasn't mentioned a bad word about Rian since we talked in potions the other day. That being said, he has yet to say a good word about him either. I'm not going to push my luck. I know when to pick my battles.

Rian, on the other hand, has to cool it. Tonight, everything he said about James was about how he's a no-good, womanizing, and overly hyped up jerk. Even when I asked him to stop badmouthing James, he still threw in a subtle dig when he could. It was only when I threatened to leave did he stop. I'm hoping he's gotten the clue not to do it anymore when I'm around.

Dom's voice brings me out of my thoughts. "So did he ask you out yet?"

"We've known each other three days." I say. "Why would he ask me out?"

"Because he obviously thinks you're gorgeous." Dom says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. I blink. "And Derek may have told me he wanted to."

"Oh my god!" I exclaim. "Are you serious?"

She nods, a grin on her face. "First Hogsmeade weekend is in two weeks."

"Looks like somebody will have a date for her first Hogsmeade visit." Nick teases. "I'll have to have a talk with him. You know, since I'm your honorary brother and all."

"That's ok." James says. "I'll talk to him."

I give James a look, placing my hand on my hip. "Exactly how much talking would be going on?"

James grins. "That depends on your definition of talking."

"It probably doesn't match up with yours," I laugh.

"We're talking," James says. "Are we not?"

"Oh, this was how you were going to talk to Rian?" I say sweetly, knowing it wasn't true."

James hesitates. "Probably not."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

"Ri oh, ri oh, it's all the things we know," Dom sings loudly as she and I walk down the hall on our way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. A couple of First Years run to either side of the hallway.

I burst into laughter. "What are you singing?"

"It's that song from that movie!" Dom exclaims.

"Oh, yes," I roll my eyes. "That song from that movie! With those people! In that place!"

"Well aren't we just dripping in sarcasm?" James asks, coming up in between us and wrapping an arm around each of our shoulder's.

Neither one of us makes an attempt to duck out from his arms as we both ignore her cousin. "You know, that movie made by the mouse guy. With the little people."

"The mouse guy?" James and I exchange a look.

Dom nods enthusiastically. "Yeah, Wilson or Wilbur or Wilt or something like that."

"Walt Disney?" I ask.

"Yeah," She said. "Something like that." She reiterates.

I frown thoughtfully, thinking about her words. "You mean Snow White and the Seven Dwarves?"

"Yes!" Dom cries. "That's the one."

James looks exasperated as I give her a look. "Hun, the song goes 'Hi hi, hi ho, it's off to _work_ we go."

"Ohhhhhhh," Dom says, comprehension drawing on her face. James and I burst into laughter as we enter the Great Hall and she detaches herself to walk down the other side of the Gryffindor table. James' arm rests comfortable on my shoulder and it strikes me how tall he really is.

"Wow you're tall." I say, looking up at him.

"Wow, you're short." He counters, looking down at me.

"5'4 is a perfectly normal height." I tell him, in a rather matter-of-fact tone.

"So's 6'2." James teases.

"When you two are done, James, we need to discuss tryouts for a bit." Professor Longbottom joins us.

"Sure, Neville." James grins cheekily. Longbottom gives him a look. "I mean, Professor." James' grin falters.

Longbottom laughs. He looks at James' arm (still wrapped around my shoulder) but doesn't say anything. Instead, he hands James a piece of parchment. "These are the list of people trying out for the last Chaser spot. Figure out what you want to do and when you want to hold tryouts and let me know, alright?" James nods. "See you around then." Professor Longbottom turns on his foot and walks up to the Staff Table.

"So how you long have been Quidditch captain?" I ask James, as we sit down in our usual spots.

"Since Fifth Year." James says.

"Impressive." I say.

He shrugs, pretending to act nonchalant, but I know him well enough to tell that he's actually really proud of himself. "It is what it is."

"It is what it is." I mock him playfully as Albus and Rose join us, coming over from where their Sixth Year friends were sitting.

"It's nice to see other people putting him in his place." Albus teases. He turns to James. "You can't ever introduce her to mum. You'll never get a moment of peace."

James gives Albus a look. "What are you talkin' about? I never get a moment of peace anyway."

"You love us." Dom says, with a grin on her face.

"No," James says. "I really don't." Dom and I laugh.

Albus and Rose stand up. "We'd love to stay but we just stopped over on our way out to the Prefect Meeting." Rose says.

"Aww shit that's now, isn't it?" Nick asks. Rose nods. Nick sighs dramatically and stands. "Ok, lead the way."

"Love you!" I call to Albus and blow him a kiss. He makes a big show of snatching it out of the air and pulling it to his heart.

"I love him," I say to James. "He's hysterical!"

James just shakes his head as he piles a bunch of food on his plate.

* * *

"And the quantum numbers are applied to the…"My eyes begin to scan the area for _anyone_ who will be able to get me away from this Ravenclaw genius who has done nothing but confuse me since he came up to talk.

"'Ello, love." James greets as he comes up behind me. He tosses an arm around my shoulders and pulls me closer to his side, before turning to the Ravenclaw. "Malone." He nods.

'Malone' shoots a glare at James and abruptly turns on his heels, practically throwing some second years out of his way as he walks back toward the castle.

I squeal loudly and throw my arms around James' neck and give him a big, smacking kiss on the cheek, ignoring the whispers that follow. "Thank you thank you thank you!" I exclaim. "I didn't even know what he was saying."

"Yeah, he's a strange one." James teases.

"Who is he?"I ask.

"Colin Malone." James shakes his head. "He hates us."

"But I don't even know him!"

"No, not you." James says. "Us, my family. He's a sixth year and is pissed because Al and Rosie are ahead of him in class rank.

"I see." I laugh. "That's really dumb."

James laughs. "Yes it is." Then, it's like everything seems to hit him. "Bloody hell, these guys have to stop coming onto you."

I roll my eyes. "Let it go, James, let it go." I pause. "Can we go get dinner?" He nods and I grin as he wraps his arm around my shoulders, leading me toward the door inside. "So you have tryouts tomorrow, right?"

James nods. "You going to come watch?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Aww, come on Austin, pleeeasee?" He begs. "You don't understand what these people are like. Half of them only come to stare at me."

"And the other half comes because of your abundance of modesty?" I tease, but I look at him and nod, agreeing to be at tryouts tomorrow.

"You're the best, Austin." He leans down and plants a smacking kiss in my cheek.

"Uhh, Austin?" Rian comes up next to me, looking confused and unsure. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," I say, sounding about as confused as Rian looks. James glares. "Go," I push him into the Great Hall. He resists, so I repeat, "Go!" and push him harder. With a scowl, he goes into the Great Hall, so I turn to Rian. "What's up?"

"I…I thought I was pretty clear here." Rian says, beginning to pace a three foot line, back and forth.

"Pretty clear with what?" I ask. "Because I'm pretty confused right now."

"Everything!" Rian cries, throwing his hands up in the air, as he continues to pace. "I thought I was being extremely clear with how I feel about you." He stops pacing. "And then I hear about you…_jumping_ James Potter of all people, in the middle of the courtyard!"

My eyes pop open. "Ok, seriously people here way over-exaggerate things. He did me a favor and I gave him a _hug_." Then, realizing something, my eyes narrow. "How the hell do you know about this already? It happened two minutes ago."

Rian has the grace to look slightly ashamed. "Colin Malone told me about it." He says, looking down.

"Colin Malone just tried to kill me by boring me to death," I say dryly. "James came over and _saved _me." I pause. "You have no right to be mad."I say gently.

"I know." Rian runs his hand though his hair. "I just…"

"You just what?" I prompt.

Instead of responding, he takes a step forward, puts his hand on the back of my neck and kisses me.

* * *

Having missed dinner due to…other activities, I make my way up to the Common Room, hair tousled and clothes slightly disheveled. As soon as I'm inside the Common Room, I hear Dom.

"You bitch!" She cries. "Why didn't you tell me about Rian?"

I laugh as I make my way over to where she is sitting with Rose. "I just got here."

"Give her a chance to sit down." Rose says, moving over so I can sit down.

As soon as I'm seated, Dom pounces. "What happened? Did he ask you out yet?"

I give them an abridged version of the events leading up to the kiss. "and then we made out in a broom closet awhile and on our way out, he asked me to Hogsmeade."

Dom squeals and Rose says, "Aww, you guys are so cute."

"And get excited Dom," I say and her eyes instantly light up. "Because Derek's going to ask you." I sing song the last part.

She jumps up." No way!"

I smile and nod. Next to me, Rose is shaking her head as she laughs at her cousin's antics. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, he's waiting outside to talk to you right now."

Dom stops jumping. "I…I don't even look cute!"

I shrug and stand up next to her. "Oh well." I laugh as I begin to push her toward the portrait hole. "Have fun, be cute, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"You just spent dinner snogging in a broom closet." Rose says, having followed me.

"Exactly." I wink and with a wave, Rose and I push Dom out the portrait hole.

Rose and I wait patiently for Dom to come back in, but after an hour, Rose announces she needs to get some homework done and I decide to go up to the dorm and shower. I leave her at the Sixth Year landing, continue up to the Seventh Year landing, and open to door, expecting to find the Blonde Bimbos, their clothes strewn around the room, attempting to pick out their outfits for the week.

Instead, I find it the same way we left it this morning—slightly messy but not too bad. The only thing different is the covered silver platter sitting on my bed.

I walk over and lift the cover off, revealing a plate full of my favorite comfort foods—macaroni and cheese, pizza, and a large slice of chocolate cake. A small, folded piece of parchment sits in the corner of the plate and that's where I begin, unfolding it curiously, smiling as I saw the familiar scrawl.

_Missed you at dinner tonight. -James

* * *

_

**A/N: So, what did we think? I post_e_d pictures of a lot of the main characters in my profile, if anyone's curious as to what they all look like. Hopefully more pictures will come eventually, and hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner than this one.**_  
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	6. This is Love

**A/N: Wow, it's been a while. I'm really sorry about the wait. Here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the OCs.

* * *

**_This is why we do it, this is worth the pain  
This is why we fall down and get back up again  
This is where the heart lies, this is from above  
Love is this, this is love  
"This is Love"- The Script_

"Wake up!" Dom shakes me. "I'm going down to tryouts soon. Want to come?" My first instinct is to snuggle deeper into my pillow, but then I remember my promise to James, so I reluctantly get out of bed and follow her to the showers.

Dom had returned around 10 last night, giddy and excited. We had spent hours into the night talking about Derek asking her to Hogsmeade and then we snuck down to the kitchens to grab some sweets.

James' tray of food had been delicious and had vanished as soon as I put the last bite of cake in my mouth. When Dom and I had gone into the kitchen, I saw the dirty tray being washed by a couple of house elves. Dom had introduced me to a couple of the elves, most of them grinning when they saw me. One of them, Pippa, had glared frighteningly, causing Dom and I to cut our kitchen trip short.

I hadn't mentioned James' food tray to Dom at all yet. I knew I had to; she was my best friend and she would want to know about it, but for some reason, I just couldn't do it. Tryouts would be my first time seeing James since and I had no idea how he would react.

Dom's voice brings me out of my daydream. "Austin, let's go. If you want breakfast, you have to get out like now!"

When I do exit the bathroom in my towel, Dom is flicking through shirts her wardrobe, dressed in only a pair of my Hollister denim short shorts (medium wash) and her favorite pink bra. I roll my eyes, pulling out a pair of dark wash Hollister denim short shorts. In the time it takes for Dom to pick out a plain tight, purple shirt, I manage to completely dress myself in the dark wash shorts and a turquoise PINK by Victoria's Secret v-neck. I scrunch my hair into beachy waves, Dom uses her wand to quickly blow hers out, we slip into flip-flops, and head out the door, making a quick stop to the Great Hall for some on-the-go food before heading to the pitch.

Dom and I take seats in the stands, away from the James Potter and Luke Wood fanclub, and look down to the pitch, where James and Luke are trying to sort the prospective players into groups.

As we're sitting, Dom explains to me the dynamics of the team. "So James is Seeker. He's also Captain, but Luke, the Keeper, is James' right-hand-man, and pretty much co-captain." As she says this, Luke looks up, as if sensing we're talking about him. He grins, waves, and nudges James with his elbow. James first looks annoyed, but then sees us and he grins, waving us down.

Dom continues her commentary on the team as we make our way down to the grass. "The beaters are over there," She points to the two guys holding bats on the opposite side of the pitch. "Evan Jordan, Fifth Year." She points to the dark skinned guy. "And my cousin Hugo, Fourth Year." The red haired one.

"The chasers are…" Dom continues but she's cut off by me.

"ALBUS!" I cry, causing all in the general area to look at me.

Albus grins from his place next to James, who turns to glare. "Sorry," I reach out and gently grab James' arm in an attempt to calm him. He doesn't seem any less tense but he does stop glaring, so I consider it a success.

"Al is one of the chasers." Dom explains. "Roxy is the other." She points to the beautiful dark skinned fifth year, another one of her cousins.

"Who's the third?" I ask.

"That's why we're here." James says dryly. I smile sheepishly and James turns back to his prospects. "Right, so you lot, in your groups, fly five laps around the pitch. Group 1, go!"

Hours later, Dom and I are lying in a heap on the grass of the pitch. James' tryouts have been unsuccessful so far. The first two groups sucked, the third group had a promising girl until James found out she was in Hufflepuff, the fourth group had been full of giggly first years, and the last few groups had been just terrible.

"Hey guys." Rose greets us with a smile as she plops down on the grass next to us. Dom and I acknowledge her with a small head nod. "They're still not over?"

"Why did you come down here if you thought they would be over?" I ask crankily. I mean, come on, I'm bored, tired, and sick of listening to James' shouting; give me a break.

Rose opens her mouth to speak, but closes it almost immediately. "Yeah, don't have an answer for that one."

Three small children go running past us, tears flying down their faces, crying loudly. "How many's that?" I ask.

Dom thinks for a minute. "Thirteen."

"Come on, James, two more!" I call. He turns, gives me a look, shakes his head, and turns back to his last group. There are four kids, all around fourth or fifth year, standing there. James has them pass around a little with each other before substituting Al and Roxy in and having them score against Luke.

"Holy shit!" Dom shouts suddenly, pointing at the blonde girl up in the air, the only girl in the last group trying out. "She just performed a perfect Lizinsky Maneuver."

Apparently James thought so too, because he instantly called everything to a halt and pulled everyone down to the ground. Dom, Rose, and I stand and make our way over to where the team is standing.

"I just want to say thank you, whoever you are, for _everything_." James is saying, his hands on the blonde's shoulders. He pulls her in for a big bear hug. "You're on the team…what's your name?"

Amidst the laughter coming from us, she answers. "Miranda Cook."

"You're in Roxy's year, right?" Al asks. Roxy and Miranda nod.

"Excellent." James grins.

"You can breathe now James." I tell him. "No one's going to kill you for not finding a Chaser anymore." His response is to pull me into a hug. "Get off me. You're sweaty and gross and I'm clean and daisy fresh." He only squeezes me harder. "Gross."

* * *

On the day of the first Hogsmeade visit, I go down to breakfast by myself, as I am dressed and ready. My first plan was to wait for Dom, but she was taking forever to get ready, so I ditched.

Albus is sitting at the table already, in the seat next to where I usually sit. With a grin, I sneak up behind him and cover his eyes with my hands. "Guess who?"

"Are you that stripper I ordered for the Beginning of the Year Party?" Albus teases. "Because you're two weeks too late."

I stick my tongue out at him as I remove my hands and sit down. "Very funny."

Albus laughs. "What time are you meeting Rian today?"

"11 at the Main Entrance." I reply, as I reach for a bagel.

"Good," James says, having come up to us with Luke and hearing my last sentence. "I'll be there 10:58 to talk with him."

"Intentions and such." Albus nods in agreement.

"I hate you both," I say, knowing there was nothing I could do. "Don't you have dates today?"

A huge grin crosses James' face. "Al's taking Miranda Cook."

"The new Chaser!"I exclaim loudly. People turn to stare.

"Shhh!" Albus covers my mouth with his hand. "Not so loud!"

"Sorry," I whisper. He rolls his eyes and I giggle. "Sorry, but seriously?"

"As friends." Albus insists. "She mentioned at practice last night that she didn't have anyone to go with and I didn't either, so I asked if she wanted to go…as friends."

"Should have left the 'as friends' part off." Luke buts in. "We all know you like her." Albus throws his toast at Luke, who deflects it easily.

"Since when?" I turn toward Al. "Why don't you tell me these things?"

"James is taking Arielle Sven!" Albus cries, clearly trying to get attention off of him.

It works. "WHAT?" Dom, who had finally joined us, and I shout simultaneously.

James shrugs noncommittally. "I asked her earlier this week and she said yes,"

"What on earth would possess you to ask that bitch?" Dom glares at her cousin as she takes a piece of toast.

"Yeah, you're gonna get so annoyed with her." I tell him.

James shrugs again. "She's hot."

Boys.

* * *

"Hi Rian!" I greet him as I find him among the plethora of students at the Main Entrance.

"Hey Austin," His smile is contagious and I find myself smiling with him. "Ready to go?"

I nod. "Lead the way."

"Ladies first." He counters.

"I don't know where I'm going."

He hesitates. "Good point, ok, let's go." He grabs my hand, pulls me through the door, and toward the path leading to the village.

"So what are we doing today?" I ask.

"Well, seeing as this is your first time here, I figured we'd grab lunch at the Three Broomsticks, hit up Honeyduke's, maybe shop around for a little…oh and we'll definitely go see the Shrieking Shack."

"The Shrieking Shack?" I raise my eyebrows skeptically.

Rian nods and laughs. "It's this really old building on the outskirts of the village. Years and years ago, the villagers used to hear these shrieks coming from it…"

"Thus the name," I interrupt.

"…and everyone thought it was haunted." Rian continues. "Don't worry," He teases. "I'll protect you."

"My hero," I say dryly as he opens the door to the Three Broomsticks.

* * *

After a delicious lunch, I drag Rian into a candle shop. We spend a good half hour sniffing the different kinds before I finally settle on an Island Breeze scented one.

"What was the purpose of that stop?" Rian asked, but I knew he was teasing; he had had as much fun as I did sniffing the different candles.

"I get a new candle every season." I tell him. "It makes my room smell nice." I pause. "Where to next?"

"Honeydukes." Rian grins.

"Why are you smiling like that?" I ask suspiciously.

"You'll see," He says and opens the shop door.

"Oh my God." My jaw drops. Literally, every inch of this store is covered in candy. "I've never seen so much candy in my life!"

We spend at least an hour in Honeydukes, stocking up on various types of sweets. When we finally leave, both of us are carrying huge bags full of chocolate and candy.

"Where to next?" We make a quick stop at the Shrieking Shack, laughing and joking as we walk past it, before heading back to the main street.

Rian points. "Let's head there now." He heads over to a loud looking shop.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." I read aloud, looking at Rian. He laughs, pulling open the door and placing his hand on my back, gently pushing me in.

My jaw drops the instant we walk inside. "This place is incredible!" And it was. Toys, practical jokes, clothes, food, and anything that can be imagined were all scattered around the brightly colored store.

Rian laughs again. "Come on." He takes my hand and leads me to the left. Our first stop is the little Muggle section, where I spend some time laughing at Rian's lack of knowledge of the Muggle world. We move onto Skiving Snackboxes next, which is where we are joined by a group of Rian's fellow Ravenclaws, who stop to talk.

After quick introductions and listening to the conversations of people I neither know nor care about, I tell Rian that I'm going to look around a bit and to come find me when he's done. He nods and waves me off, so I begin my journey down the row of Skiving Snackboxes, stopping in front of each to read the title, description, and side-effects.

"You look a little old to be a third year new customer." A guy, not much older than me, with dark hair comes over to where I'm standing. Annoyed that he's even here, I ignore him, as my eyes continue down the information about Nosebleed Nougat. "You know the whole mum-telling-you-not-to-talk-to-strangers thing is usually something kids stop listening to when they turn eight or so."

I shrug, choosing not to look at him, as I move on to read about Puking Pastilles. "Last time I talked to a stranger, he ended up married to my mom."

"Come on," The guy teases. "I am much too young for your mum."

My eyebrows rise as I turn to look at him for the first real time. "I highly doubt that." I say dryly. You know, now that I see him, he's really kind of cute. He's pretty tall, maybe an inch or two shorter than James, very muscular, with tan skin, some light freckles, and his dark hair has a definite red tint to it.

"You doubt that, do you?" He leans against the plastic tubes holding the little pills, smirk on his face. There's no doubt in my mind that he's flirting with me, but the usual reflex to flirt back isn't coming to me. In fact, I'm almost irritated that he's talking to me.

"I'm Freddy." He holds his hand out for me to shake.

"I'm not interested." I tell him.

"Feisty," He teases, grinning. "I like that."

"Persistent. I hate that." I say, moving around him, only to walk right into James' chest.

"I knew you liked me most!" James exclaims, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off the ground. He swings me around once before putting me back on the ground, keeping his arm around my shoulders and blatantly ignoring my scowl.

"Freddy, mate." James greets Freddy, who has turned around and is facing us. "You here working?"

Freddy shakes his head. "Nah, heard it was a Hogsmeade weekend and figured I'd come for a visit; you know, see the fam."

James nods. "See you met Austin here." He squeezes my shoulders and I smile, leaning into him a bit.

Freddy smirks. "So Feisty's got a name."

"Does everyone in your family hit on every girl you meet?"

"Not me!" Albus joins us, closely followed by Miranda Cook. We both grin as I pull away from James to give Albus a hug.

"Not you?" Freddy snickers. "Walks in with one girlfriend, gets jumped by the other."

Albus scowls. "They're not my girlfriends." He turns toward James, trying to get the attention off of him. "James, where's Arielle?"

James shrugs. "Left her somewhere. She was getting really ann…" He trails off, clearly remembering what I had said this morning."

I smirk. "What was that James? She was really…"

James sighs. "Fine, annoying. You were right; I was wrong. Happy?"

Freddy's jaw drops as he looks at me. "Who _are_ you? How did you get him to do that?"

I shrug noncommittally. "I'm just that awesome." At the end of the row, I see Rian, so I excuse myself from the boys and walk toward him. "So where to next?"

Rian shrugs. "Wanna go check out the Post Office? It's nothing special really, but it's something you should see your first time here."

I nod. "Sure, sounds good." Rian smiles and puts his arm around my shoulders and kisses the side of my head. He smiles widely at me and I attempt to return it with a small one of my own.

But when we turn to go to the Post Office and I see James and Freddy leaving Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, I grin brightly and wave enthusiastically.

God, there's something wrong with me.

* * *

**A/N: So, next chapter is kind of a big deal. It's not completely written yet, but when it is, it'll be right up. Sorry about the wait! Reviews please?**


	7. Seventeen Forever

**A/N: Thanks everyone! Here's the next chapter.**

**Also, just a note. A lot of people are telling me that this story is a lot like Sarah Deeson's novel _This Lullaby_. Yes, some inspiration for Austin's character came from the novel, so props to Sarah Deeson (because it is an awesome book); however as we move on in this story, it obviosuly becomes increasingly less like _This Lullaby_.  
**

**Disclaimer: I only own the OCs. I do not own the songs at the beginning of any and every chapter and I do not own any of the songs mentioned or sung in this chapter.  


* * *

**_We're one mistake from being together  
And let's not ask why it's not right  
You won't be seventeen forever  
And we can get away from this tonight.  
"Seventeen Forever"- Metro Station_

When I step into our dorm room, Dom is stepping out of the bathroom, wrapped in her towel.

"How was your date?" I ask.

She glares. "The only thing Derek talks about is himself. I could barely get a word in, even to comment on something about him." She steps over to her closet. "Yours?"

"Good." I shrug.

"Good?" She turns to look at me, raising an eyebrow.

I nod. "Yeah, good. Not terrible, but it wasn't exactly great." I pause. "It was just an average, typical first date; nothing really stood out."

Dom nods. "Shower and change. We're meeting the guys and going out with the fam." With an obedient nod, I walk into the bathroom to take a quick shower. By the time I get out, Dom is dressed in a tight, ruched, one-shoulder pale pink dress, and playing with her hair in front of the mirror.

"So what's the dress code for this?" I ask her, beginning to look in my closet.

"Don't bother." She waves me off. "I already picked yours out." She points her fresh manicure to the red thing on my bed. "And since I picked both dresses, you pick both shoes."

I ignore her as I pull my dress on. Red floral lace covers the black dress, giving the overall appearance of a deep red. Like Dom's, the dress is short and sexy, and I can't help but wonder what this family night is going to be like.

It doesn't take Dom and me long to finish getting ready. Make-up took us barely three minutes. Dom uses her wand to perfectly straighten her hair and I use mine to loosely curl mine. Hairspray and perfume are the last added before I move to my closet to find shoes.

Dom gets a pair of white five inch peep-toed slingback Louboutins while I take the strappy champagne six inch high Louboutins. Deeming us ready to go, we make out way down to the Common Room, where Albus, Rose, and Roxy are waiting.

Rose looks like the definition of class in her navy blue ruffle tier halter dress and satin peep toe pumps and Roxy looks gorgeous in her white spaghetti strap dress and yellow keyhole bootie heels with the flower. We squeal about each other's outfits, brought down from our excitement by Al, who points out that we are already late and if we wait much longer, we'll be spotted by the post-dinner crowd.

* * *

After sneaking around through Hogwarts, walking the length of a secret passageway, and strolling through the streets of Hogsmeade, we finally make our way to the entrance of a club off of a side street. Al gives his name to the bouncer, who waves us all in, giving Dom and I looks of appreciation as we pass in our super short dresses and super high heels.

Dom, Al, and I make a beeline for the bar, while Rose and Roxy begin the search for the rest of the family. Alcoholic drinks for the three of us, a virgin cocktail for Rosie, and a butterbeer for Roxy, who has been designated dorm helper for the night.

The extended Weasley family is in a back corner horseshoe booth, the rowdiest group in the club. Freddy is in the center, with a blond guy to his left, and a girl with auburn hair to his right. Next to Blond guy is James and next to Auburn girl is Luke, and Rose and Roxy are sitting in two chairs that they pulled up, due to the number of us that would be in attendance.

Freddy grins when he sees me. "Austin, love."

I laugh; he's much better now than he was earlier. "Hi Freddy." He introduces the blond on his left as Dom's brother Louis and the girl on his right as their cousin Lucy, offering a quick story on how they all graduated last year.

Dom sits down next to Luke while I slide in next to James and Al slides in after me.

Freddy raises his finger and almost instantly a tray of shots appears in the center of the table. I barely have time to marvel this feat before James hands me a shot and Freddy speaks. "I'd like to propose a toast. To Friends, Family, and the Hot Girl Over There. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" We echo, with a laugh, each taking our shot. Conversation flows easily (and loudly) within the group after that and it isn't long before Dom, Lucy, and I climb over the boys to go dance, drinks in hand.

* * *

My arms loop around his neck as he pushes us back toward the wall, lips never leaving mine.

"You should be this tall all the time." He mutters, freeing my lips to kiss my neck.

"No hickeys," I tilt my head sideways, giving him better access.

"No promises." He finds that spot, causing me to moan, and I can feel his familiar smirk against my neck.

"I'm seri…" He cuts me off by placing his lips over mine again. "No talking." His tongue enters my mouth. I deepen the kiss further while he puts his hands on my hips, lifting me up to wrap my legs around his waist. His left arm circles my waist, holding me close and his right hand anchors itself in my curls.

"Do you hear that?" I break away from him , listening closely. He ignores me, resuming our kiss. "No, seriously, there's someone out there."

"Aus-tin." He whines, still holding me up.

"Ja-ames." I mimic, attempting to unwrap myself from him. The amount of alcohol I've had makes this a particularly difficult feat and we both end up in a pile on the floor. James, who is just as drunk as I am, stands up and grabs my hand to pull me up. Drunk as he is, he overestimates how much force he needs to pull me up and pulls me right into his chest.

Which is the exact position Dom and Luke find us in when they swing open the closet door. Luke giggles drunkenly and Dom manages to slur out a "shhhh!" before pulling James and I out of the closet.

"We promised Rosie we'd be home an hour ago." Dom slurs again.

James shrugs, tossing his arm around my shoulders as I adjust my dress. "It's not like she's going to know when we get back."

"She's probably waiting for us in our dorm room." I giggle as the four of us begin walking back to Gryffindor Tower.

It takes us a while to get back into the Common Room, as we're all having trouble with remembering the password. Luke gives Dom a big kiss on the cheek before James pushes her up towards the girls' dorm rooms. Luke glares at his best friend before stumbling up the stairs to his own room, leaving James and I alone in the Common Room.

"Ahh, screw it." James pulls me close to him and kisses me again. Once again, I deepen the kiss, moving my hands to the buttons of his shirt. I manage to get two buttons undone when Dom calls from around the corner of the stairs.

"Austin Grace, Rosie's waiting upstairs to put us in time-ou-ahhhh!" James and I jump apart as Dom falls down the last few steps.

"Bye," I wink at James and go help Dom up the stairs to our dorm room, where, sure enough, Rose is standing with her hands on her hips.

"Uh-oh!" I say and Dom's giggles subside as we take in the look on Rose's face.

We are in big trouble.

* * *

"Rise and shi-ine!" Rose sing-songs, slamming the door behind her.

"Mhgjfdkwmm." Dom growls incomprehensibly. I groan.

"Oh, no," Rose says, pulling the curtains open by each of our beds. "I told you when to stop drinking; you ignored me. I told you when to be in; you ignored that too. So…" She trails off as she steps in between our two beds. "Good morning, good MORning you talked the whole night through. Good morning, good morning, to you!" She holds the last note good and long.

Well personally, I think Rosie can take her 'good morning' and go shove it up someone's…my thoughts are cut off by a pillow smacking me in the face. "Sorry," Dom whispers, sitting up for the first time. "I thought Rosie was taller than she is. It was those stupid heels from last night."

Something inside my head goes off and I bolt up, grabbing my pounding head as I do so, while simultaneously shouting, "Fuck, fuck, fuck," repeatedly.

"Too early," Dom starts riffling through her trunk, probably looking for Hangover cure.

"I hooked up with James last night." I say breathlessly and the last container of Hangover potion crashes to the ground.

* * *

"What are you going to do?" Dom asks me for the millionth time. She and I haven't left the dorm room all day, mostly due to my avoiding James, but partially due to our lack of Hangover cure. We're sitting on my bed, with Rose (who left to go to the kitchens and bring back a ton of food), watching Grey's Anatomy Season 1 on a laptop.

"I don't know!" I whine, taking a cupcake.

"Well you have to face him somehow." Rose reasons.

Dom nods. "You guys have potions and a free period together alone."

"Promise me you won't leave me during that first free period." I beg Dom.

She laughs and nods. "And look at it this way, you won't have to talk to him during Transfiguration."

"Why, who does she sit next to there?" Rose asks innocently.

Dom's and my eyes pop open. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." I repeat again, doubling over to rest my head in my lap.

Dom reaches out and rubs my back soothingly as she answers Rose. "Rian."

"Well, you're not officially dating Rian, are you?" Rose crinkles her eyebrows and a grin grows across my face.

"No!" I exclaim, happy for the first time, sitting up straight again. "This is the greatest thing ever!"

"Sure," Dom says, bringing me down. "So, are you going to tell Rian about James?"

I groan, smacking myself on the forehead. "Fuck you, fuck this." Dom only laughs.

* * *

When I get down to breakfast, James is already there with Luke, Nick, and Scott. Dom and I settle into our usual seats, with our coffees already waiting.

"So what time did you get out of bed yesterday?" James asks.

"We didn't." Dom answers. "We watched movies in bed all day."

"You guys?" I direct the question toward him and Luke.

"Three?" Luke guesses.

James nods in agreement. "Around then. Took a while to get out of bed. Couldn't remember where I was or what I had done. Scottie had to remind me that I was in my bed in the dorm room and we still haven't pieced together anything after 11 from Saturday night."

"So you don't remember anything from Saturday night?" I practically jump onto James as I latch onto his arm.

He shakes his head. "No, nothing. Why?" His eyes travel from my hand, clawing into his arm, to my face.

"No reason." I try to fight the grin spreading across my face. "Me neither, I just wanted to know what happened."

Dom glares daggers at me as James laughs. "Well, we might be SOL on that one. The only sober people had left by then. We might never remember this night."

At this point in time, I would just like to thank the universe for doing something for me, for once in my life.

* * *

"You know I like my chicken fried," I sing loudly and obnoxiously as Dom and I decide to meet up with Rose before our second classes. "Cold beer on a Friday night, pair of jeans that fits just right, and the…"

"What's wrong with her?" Rose cocks her head to the side as she looks at Dom. "Yesterday she was freaking out about James and Rian and now she looks like she needs medication."

I stick my tongue out at her before singing again. "I'll keep you my dirty little secret, Won't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret…"

Dom sighs. "James doesn't remember anything from Saturday past like 11, so he has no idea they hooked up." She frowns. "Some bitches have all the luck."

"You two are the only girls on the planet who would be _glad_ that their random hook-ups don't remember them." Rose shakes her head at us.

Dom and I share a look. "Yeah, pretty much."

Rose shakes her head and turns toward Al, who has just joined our little pow-wow. "If I ever become like either one of them, throw me off a bridge, okay?"

"Even if it's before you take all your NEWTs?" Al teases.

Rose's eyes widen. "Oh God, I didn't even think about that!"

"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie." Dom shakes her head, feigning disappointment. "How are we even related?"

* * *

"Hello, love," Rian pulls me to his side, kissing my cheek as he does so.

"Hi," I say, after recovering from my initial shock.

He snickers, knowing that he did, in fact, manage to surprise me. "What are you doing tonight?"

I shrug. "Nothing, I think."

"Want to work on our Transfiguration project?"

"Ugh, school work?" I crinkle my nose up. "But it's Monday!"

Rian nods. "Yes, generally when the abundance of school work begins."

"But it's _Monday_." I repeat.

Rian laughs as he turns to face me and takes my hands in his. "If we work hard and finish early, then we'll have to find some way to occupy our time."

A grin flashes across my face. "Well I guess when you put it that way, school work on a Monday doesn't sound so bad.

"Good," Rian says softly, leaning in to kiss me. "I have Ancient Runes; Meet you at seven in the Great Hall."

"Bye," I smile and wave to him, heading in the opposite direction.

"Ready to go?" James swoops in from behind and rests his arm around my shoulders. He's carrying two brooms in his other hand.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" I ask, beginning to ramble. "Or smart? You know I can barely walk on the ground; is flying around in the air really a good idea. I could fall or I could get blown away or…or a dragon could come and…"

"A dragon?" James raises his eyebrows, clearly amused. "That's a little dramatic, don't you think? And yes, it is necessary to learn how to play Quidditch and I am here to make sure you don't fall or get blown away."

"But what about the dragon?" I say, with a completely straight face.

"Shut it Austin."

* * *

"My God." James says, still shaking his head.

"Shut up." I reach out to push him away, frowning when I don't succeed. Damn, the guy's got muscles.

"My God!" James repeats.

"Stop it!" I exclaim.

James grins. "You _suck_ at Quidditch!"

"That was my first time playing!" I whine, pulling my dark hair out of its ponytail and tossing it up into a messy bun.

"Oh, I could tell," James smirks, an amused expression on his face. "_'Does it have to go in all three holes?'_" He mimics the question I had asked him as soon as he threw me the red ball.

"I hate you!" I say, trying to push him again. Only this time, James, who is too busy laughing at me, is caught off guard, and loses his balance, grabbing onto me as he fell. We land with a crash on the ground, me lying on top of him, with his arms wrapped around my waist.

Our eyes lock and for a minute, the only sound heard is our heavy breathing, as a strange sensation floats around in my stomach.

"What on Earth is going on here?" Professor Slughorn's voice causes us both to jump up on our feet.

"We fell on our way…"

"She pushed me down…"

"He totally pulled me down…"

"…couldn't get back up…" James and I each try an explanation. Slughorn gives us a look, clearly showing how strange he thinks we are, before walking away as classes are dismissed.

James tosses his arm casually around my shoulder and that's when I realize what the feeling in my stomach is. Butterflies.

Oh Merlin.

* * *

**A/N: Sooo...**


End file.
